Recently, the garage where I worked for a long time went out of business. I have a lot of my own tools, and I was thinking about taking out a loan of around $20,000 to buy a few extra tools I need to open my own garage. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own shop, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. What do you think?

Rick

Dear Rick,

I love it when a person has the talent and drive to open their own business, but right now you’re unemployed and looking at going into debt. That’s a bad idea.

You’ll never hear me recommend going into debt to start a business. Did you know most new businesses fail within the first five years due to debt payments? I literally started my company on a card table in my own living room years ago, so I know for a fact you can launch a business without going into debt.

You said you have your own tools, plus you have lots of experience. My advice is to find a place that needs a good mechanic. Then, use the income from a new job to save up for the additional tools you need, and other startup costs associated with opening your own shop.

If you play this smart and start slow, you could have a thriving business on your hands in a few years and no debt to eat up the money you make!